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Wrot
Born to war and violence the Wrot have little choice in the creatures they become. Goaded on by powerful magic users and devoted zealots to the Gods of the Void, the Wrot are a fearsome opponent that can sow death and misery wherever they choose to go. Description Standing at an average of 7'5 of hardened muscle a Wrot is an imposing sight for anyone. They are also noted by their pale flesh, black and red dreadlocks, horizontal green eyes and a fierce love of bloody warpaint. Their weapons tend to have hooks for hooking the flesh of their foes and rending them open in a spray of gore. They are also the race that uses a heavy amount of Night Steel, an ebony steel that overtime will harden from blows taken. History During the First Void Invasion the Dark Gods corrupted a primordial well and used its power to create servants that could readily summon the armies of the Void. They were imbued with the ability to resist the madness of the Shadow Weave and certain other corruptions. It was not until after the First Void Invasion that the Wrot trully become a race. With the Dwarfs sealing themselves off from the surface and mankind only beginning to rise the Wrot took control of the northern Ordainian Continent. Contending with the newly risen Skrikul, Urks and Gnolls the fighting between races all spawned by the Dark Gods intensified for control of the land. Through this clash the Wrot won out, soon enslaving their foes or scattering them. Yet their control would be short lived as the Frostrock Trolls and mankind rose to the challenge to battle for the mineral rich mountains and highlands. With the Trolls pressing from the northern most regions and the humans pressing from the south the Wrot waged a massive war on both fronts, pushing the humans south as the Trolls pushed the Wrot southward. Using their Urk, Shrikul and Gnoll slaves and the discipline of their own armies the Wrot after two centuries of heavy warfare were able to solidify their hold on large chunks of the middle and southern regions of the Iceflow Mountains and lowlands. For several hundred years the Wrot maintained their territory, even launching three seperate incursions deep into Frostrock territory and to the very walls of the Troll's capital city before being driven off by united tribes. This lasted until the moment the Dwarfs unsealed their halls and rose to challenge the status quo. Caught unawares that many of their defensive holdings had been built atop ancient dwarven holds the Wrot were brought low, scattered and shattered across the Iceflow Mountains. They only managed to hang on by a thread in isolated pockets, while the rest of their race moved out of the Iceflow and down into the southern lands to compete against a prolific human race. Society and Culture A largely warlike people, they are almost always locked in combat with some species living around them along with their own. They control small territories over the northern expanse of the Ordainian continent. They are often seen fighting the dwarves, and often enter battle with the Centaur and Minotaur tribes and clans over territory and hunting grounds. They hardly attack the dwarves however; as they have learned the dwarves are an extremely hard enemy to combat, especially in mountainous terrain. They often pick on goblin tribes, gnolls and human villages and caravans. They have never been a united force and are very untrusting of other clans within their species. However the lands they hold are formidible defensively, and their strongholds are large and often built into a mountain or cliff. Their society is almost always run by the magic users of each clan, but it isn’t unusual to see a chieftain being a warrior, usually of a well known status with the dark gods. They detest the unholy Dronn, and kill them on sight. Due to the vast numbers of Frostrock trolls in the north the Wrot must battle constantly to hold onto their territories and hunting grounds. At the same time they must keep the Urk and Shrilkul tribes at bay. For this reason they start training for war as young as five years old. Their warlocks often give them the advantage in battle, due to the effectiveness of their dark magics and their demon allies. Clans rarely fight one another and prefer to just stay away from one another. Even in battle against a common enemy they don’t come near each other when fighting. They do sometimes marry into one another, in order to provide protection on a certain front, and to gain some aid in battles against a common enemy. Wrot society revolves around the council of magic users and dark priests. They control what goes on in the society, and what members must do to survive. Chieftains are the warlords and often plan the assaults and defense of each clan. Chieftains that have proven themselves in battle many times over and that have gained the attention of the dark gods often gain more power over their people and sometimes rise above the council. Since their holdings are falling in the northern regions to the dwarves and trolls, the Wrot have begun to move south. The further south they go they run into the legacies of Ordain which slaughter them with pure ease. They also come into combat with the Dronn more and more the further south they head. The Dronn are despised by the Daemons and Devils, and the dark gods have issued that they must be all destroyed. For this reason the Wrot often invade and take control of Dronn fortresses and territories. The Dronn however are beginning to learn how to work together against the Wrot, and have begun to repel such invasions, and launching counter attacks against Wrot holdings. Ordain has begun to notice however that the Wrot would prefer to leave their people alone and instead concentrate on destroying the Dronn who are nearly always being a thorn in the side of the Ordainian military. For this Ordain has given some leverage to the Wrot, that they may further annihilate the Dronn from Ordainian land. King Sadin Conclave of Ordain has also been rumored to have his secret military and intelligence force to attack Dronn holdings to further aid the Wrot. Specialized teams often infiltrate Dronn strongholds and assassinate the Dronn leader which immediately cripples the whole of the Dronn because they are each controlled by that single leader. The Wrot who probe the Dronn defenses for weakness everyday soon see this and charge forth in mass and destroy the confused and disoriented Dronn. It is for this reason that the Wrot have managed to survive for as long as they have. However as time continues and the inevitable destruction of the Dronn grows near, so to will Ordain’s patience with a menace within their territory. The Wrot at War Organized and highly disciplined the Wrot field some of the strongest and fearsome armies in Aggal. Clad in Night Steel armor and wielding weapons made of the same, the Wrot and easily break lesser races and have been the one true threat to human civilization aside from the trolls. Using their height, and powerful forms the Wrot throw themselves against organized lines to wreak havoc. They also use a heavy supply of fodder units, Shrikul, Urks and Gnolls, throwing them at an enemy before the Wrot's own lines clash. WIth the assistance of powerful magic users and the summoning of Daemons and Devils, the Wrot are versatile, and adaptable to most battlefield situations. ' ' 'The Death Dancer:' Among the clans, all children are bred for war. As children of both sexes grow, some are marked for their martial prowess, viciousness, tactical skill, and devotion to the Gods of the Void. For the females who show exceptional skill in physical combat they are chosen to join the revered and feared death dancer cult. Many die in the grueling, brutal and merciless trials that await them to attain the rank, but for those few who stand at the bloody end, they are among some of the most elite warriors in Wrot society. Pitted against one another once chosen to join the Coven until the moment they are finally ascended to the rank of death dancer, each female will learn to fight and kill on a daily basis. They are trained in both the double bladed spear, and two short curved swords known as “kuri.” Each weapon is made to be used in a dance, very much akin to Glassian dervishes, where it is likely wrot developed the idea after thousands of years of warfare with the desert dwellers. Speed, agility, and ferocious forward momentum are the constant friends of the death dancers, who fight in sweeping actions across a battlefield. They train incessantly against one another growing up, often killing one another when they are able to to rid themselves of anyone that might rival their ascension. Further, they are thrown against the wilds alone in yearly tests of survival. Urk, shrilkul, human, dwarf, gnoll, troll and glassian slaves are given the chance of their freedoms if they track down tested death dancer trainees and bring back their heads, pitting each death dancer trainee against, desperate and armed groups of foes. Each death dancer is also is also taught the art of stealth warfare, being light on their feet, and lightning fast with their strikes against unprepared targets. Finally, as chosen warriors, each death dancer upon ascension to the coveted title becomes known as a Daughter to one of several gods or goddesses of the Void. Goremag lord of Slaughter is the one most often chosen, followed by Wrathilon, Narlexis, and Cursolia. Once chosen the death dancer will brand their backs in their god or goddess's symbol, which is said to grant them boons from their chosen deity. Next numerous ribbons of dark purple are tied about their waists, wrists, legs and braided hair. Bones and beads further festooned about their bodies with bone necklaces set about their throats, skulls adorn a belt at their waist or are looped into their hair. Bands of midnight steel etched in potent symbols of the void are set at their wrists and ankles, denoting their elite rank. They are given well fitted leather and cured hide to protect their flesh before they are handed a spear and two kuri, etched by void energy. In battle they will then often attack the enemy where they least expect it, where it is weakest and with furious tenacity. In society they are beneath Champions of the Void, and generally serve powerful warlocks, shadowlords, and act as the bodyguards of shadow mistresses. The Warlock: The few, the rare, the revered and the immortal and unseen, the warlocks of wrot society are a secret powerhouse in the background. Each is a spellcaster of extreme potency, outstripping shadowlords, shadowcasters, and mistresses in levels of power and rival the mistresses in terms of unholy reverence. Known as the Lords of the Pale, or just as Chosen, a warlock wields the unholy might of the Shadow-Weave topped with diabolic and devilish boons. Each warlock is measured in the power stolen by killing other warlocks, and draining their essences, slaying daemons and devils and binding their spirits into service, and by their finding of unholy relics of the Void. They wield and wear the skulls of their foes, and rivals about their necks, and clatter in the bones of devils and daemons. Ravenous spellcasters, they do not limit themselves to stealing power from wrot spellcasters, but also from spellcasters of the other races of the void such as urks, ogre, skitterer and shrilkul. Because of their rarity, and their innate knowledge of powerful shadow magic, and even their innate knowledge and closeness with the Void Gods, warlocks are feared and revered by all wrot, and demand respect, attention and obedience by even Bloodlords and Champions. Often known to wander alone or sequester themselves away to study the secrets of the Void, searching for more power, they do come to tribes when ordered by the Gods. When they speak for the Gods, their words are taken as if heard by the Gods themselves.